Slovakia to connect Mochovce nuclear power plant's fourth unit as ramp — up continues

Oct 13 (Reuters) — Slovakia will connect the fourth unit of the Mochovce nuclear power plant for the first time on Tuesday, taking a further step towards it becoming fully operational, Prime Minister Robert Fico said. Slovenske Elektrarne, which operates the Mochovce plant, has said the new 471-megawatt unit should be fully operational by year-end It began powering up the unit in September in a process that gradually increases reactor power With reactor power having reached 20%, the turbine generators can be synchronised with the Slovak electricity system, allowing the first megawatt-hours of electricity to flow into the grid "This very evening, we will witness the so-called synchronisation of this unit with the grid," Fico said at a nuclear energy forum. "Once operational, Slovakia will gain another stable (energy) source" The unit will be the last to come online at the country's second nuclear plant, after the third unit was connected to the grid in 2023 Slovenske Elektrarne is majority owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky's EPH group, and the Slovak state has a 34% stake that it has expressed interest in increasing The company said previously that after the new unit goes